The major Libyan commercial port of Benghazi has been closed due to ongoing fighting between Islamist militants and pro-government forces struggling to retake the area.

"All ship movements
and discharging of imports have been stopped," a port
official told Reuters on Tuesday. The Benghazi port is a vital
terminal for eastern Libya as it serves for oil exports and
imports of food and international goods.

This comes after fierce fighting erupted in the city on Monday
with pro-government forces launching an attack on areas held by
the Islamist militants.

The attack launched by forces loyal to retired general Khalifa
Haftar backed by army units, was to "clear the zone of armed
Islamist groups", Colonel Ahmed al-Mesmari, armed forces
spokesman, said, Reuters reported.

Earlier, the army had asked the residents of the district near
the port to evacuate before a military operation to avoid
casualties. Dozens of people left the city. However, many had
nowhere to go and joined the security forces in the fight against
the militants.

Last week the pro-government forces recaptured territories in
south and east Benghazi, including army camps seized by the
Islamists in July.

General Haftar launched a pre-emptive assault against militia
bases associated with several Islamist groups in Benghazi in May.
He blamed them for the constant bombings and murders in the east
of the country in recent years. Then in Tripoli he launched an
attack on the parliament building against what he called the
"Islamist-dominated" government of the time. Now, Libya's new
parliament, the House of Representatives, has given General
Haftar its backing.

Islamist militias now control large parts of the country as Libya
plunged into chaos following the 2011 revolution. The country is
divided between two rival governments, with disparate tribes,
militias and political factions fighting for power in the
country.

Among the Islamist groups is Ansar al-Sharia, which has declared
a caliphate in the area of the city of Derna. This group is
considered as a terrorist organization in Europe and in the US.

At least 250 people have now been killed in government-backed
operations started in October to defeat the Islamists, according
to medical sources.

The internationally-recognized and newly-elected government had
to flee from the capital Tripoli to the eastern town of Tobruk
close to the Egyptian border after militias took control of the
capital in July. It aims to relocate to Benghazi soon once army
units restore security there, its deputy speaker said on Tuesday.

"We plan to move there soon, maybe in one or two weeks,"
Deputy Speaker Emhemed Shoaib told Reuters. "We need to speak
to the army about the security situation."

Benghazi was the city where mass protests against Gaddafi erupted
in 2011 and escalated into an armed revolt that toppled him.